Of Lies and Engagements
by Lunar.Pixie
Summary: Struggling student, Kuchiki Rukia, just had the worst day of her life. Promising son of hotel tycoon, Kurosaki Ichigo, can only describe today as the best thing that ever happened to him. But one phone call was all it took. "I will pay you for every month that you're engaged to me." (AU, slight OOC)
1. When Her Worst Day Meets His Best Day

_**Back from a looooong hiatus! I am not abandoning my other story, just don't have the inspiration for it at all. Hope you all will enjoy this story! Not the best first chapter... I didn't reallllllyyyyy like it, and I might - MIGHT - re-write this in the future. But for now, I'm happy!**_

 ** _Yes, English is my first language, but grammar... argh grammar. I try (:_**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any characters in Bleach. Thank you for everything, Kubo-sensei.**_

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Today is officially the worst day of Rukia's life.

Sure, she had bad days: like the time when she fell face first in a pool of mud after being wrongly accused of stealing someone's favourite unicorn plushie keychain (dude, that trinket was gross, why would anyone steal it), or when she found out that she had to leave her home and fend for herself at age 16, or when her very first boyfriend CHEATED on her, or when she met that insufferable man who deserved a special place in hell.

All of those were _nothing_ as compared to today.

From the moment the clock struck twelve, Rukia knew – she just knew – that today was going to be a bad day.

She could literally feel and _smell_ the ominous aura around her.

That, and the fact that this place was reeking of alcohol and gag inducing smoke, as she stood behind the counter of her new bartending job.

As if someone up there wanted to prove that Rukia can, in fact, tell the future and be better off as a fortune-teller, the next customer who walked in and towards the counter had striking blue hair, a huge smirk, a chain across his torn jeans, tattoos on his biceps… overall, a look that just spells trouble. He eyed Rukia from head to toe and back up again before smirking wider.

So wide, Rukia could swear she saw his molars despite the distance.

It really didn't help that the boss of this place requested – more like coerced – all his female workers (maybe some males too) to dress scantily for work. Rukia was already the most covered up with a tight button down shirt (with the top two buttons undone) and a black mini skirt.

She had spent the first day here pulling on her skirt, not used to its short length; but soon, she realized it only made the scumbags here drool further to whatever weird and lewd thoughts they were fantasizing over. Nevertheless, her outfit still attracted unwanted attention, Mr Blue Hair included, which was exactly what the boss wanted in the first place.

She smiled politely at his compliments and declined cordially to his advances. But still, he stayed at the counter, not even sparing another look at the other more eager girls in the bar. The wolf licked his lips and huge canines every time the petite black-hair woman leaned over the counter to pass some customers their drinks; her cleavage being in full view, that and how the position looked somewhat suggestive.

An hour and five drinks later, he decided to become a little bolder. It irked Rukia to no-end every time he would oh-so-accidentally lightly brush her butt; when she glared at him, he either look away, or worse, smirk right back at her. Rukia could feel her patience wearing thin.

That was why when the last brush of the butt was accompanied by an uninvited squeeze; she punched him square in the face without so much of a hesitation.

And that was how Rukia got fired from her job that paid well.

How was she to know that Mr Smurf Hair was a frequent and valued customer of the bar and pissing him off meant losing her job?

The day didn't get any better after that. Of course, the mother of all bad days wouldn't be letting Rukia go so easily.

After that rough night of getting groped, screaming at her boss (or ex-boss) and, then, getting no pay for her past week of work, all Rukia really wanted was to get at least some sleep before her next job.

But no. That ain't happening.

She walked up to her apartment door only to realize that her keys won't fit. At first, she thought that she was going crazy causing her to constantly pick out the wrong keys to slot into the keyhole. It wasn't until her landlord came up to her with her belongings in a box that she understood what was going on.

She tried begging, bawling, kneeling down and crying… Needless to say, those buckets of tears were wasted.

It was just three paltry months that she didn't pay her rent! He didn't have to make her homeless! Such heartless creatures.

So lugging on to the box and her luggage, Rukia wandered the streets towards her next workplace; looking at the time, she was about to start her shift at the café anyway.

And it started raining. Heavily.

Yes, at 6am in the freaking morning.

Let's face it: thunderstorms and mornings just don't go well together if you're not snuggled up in a comfy bed.

Also, her belongings, due to the flimsy material of a cardboard box and the lack of a good suitcase, were slowly getting soaked.

Just as she was about to turn the corner towards the direction of the café she worked at, Rukia found herself on the floor, and wetter than before. With her belongings scattered on the sidewalk.

Who did she bump into?

Yes. Her ex. The one who cheated on her? Yeah, that one. Together with his new girlfriend.

Seriously? Of all the times to bump into the absolute last person she wanted to see!? Why couldn't she have bumped into them when she was about to receive a Nobel Prize? Or when she was dating the most drop-dead gorgeous model? Or when she discovered a new innovation and was earning butt-loads of money? Or, at the very least, when she was wearing something that is not an over-sized hoodie with a stain from last night's soup?

No, she had to bump into them wearing said hoodie, when she just had the worst night of her life, when she was drenched from head to toe, when she was barely surviving college life and juggling with two low-paying part-time jobs, and was currently sitting in a puddle of water.

And that stupid girl had the cheek to offer her a handkerchief.

Please, like hell would she accept that polka-dotted handkerchief of sympathy.

Blame it on the deity of bad days or a full night without sleep as within minutes into her shift at the café, Rukia was involved in a kitchen mishap causing her to burn off some of her hair. Thankfully, her manager was kind enough to give her some time off to run to the nearest salon and get a quick fix on her uneven hair. But, you know, hairdressers; they just don't get lengths right somehow. And a quick trim turned out to be a major hair makeover and her previously long hair was brutally severed, and Rukia was now sporting a short bob cut.

Sighing, she thought that at least that's not the worst that could happen. Still, can this day get any worse?

And it could, as she spotted the insufferable man entering the café with a huge smile on his face.

-ooo-

Today was the best day of Ichigo's life.

Okay, so he did had a couple of good days like the day he led the school team to win the annual inter-school soccer championship, or the time he had his first kiss with his high school crush, or even his university graduation day where he came in second out of the whole cohort. Missing out on the valedictorian spot to that four-eyed Ishida. Ichigo will never forget that smug look he had on his face the entire time during the awards ceremony giving him the serious urge to walk up to him and punch him in the face. Okay, so that wasn't really a good day, now that he thought about it. BUT STILL, it didn't matter, because TODAY is officially the best day of his life.

Everything that could go right went right. And plus, he was really lucky too.

First, it was the meeting with his potential client. It didn't go really well initially. Just as he thought he was unable to seal the deal as his client decided to leave; there was a thunderstorm and the client's car was literally drowning. This bought Ichigo the extra time he needed to successfully convince his client into partnership with his company.

And suddenly, even though he had such bad experience with rains, Ichigo pronounced that he was officially a fan of morning rains, specifically thunderstorms in the morning.

Sealing such a deal with one of the most adamant yet key players of the economy was not an easy feat. It impressed Ichigo's father to no end, and he decided that perhaps his son was more than ready to take over the business. With a pat on Ichigo's back, Isshin told him that he was planning to announce the handover at tonight's annual company dinner.

But there's a catch.

Actually, with Isshin, there's always a catch. He wanted to see his son get married.

Which leads to the best thing that happened today.

The family had known that Ichigo was dating someone for the past 3 years now, but they didn't know anything about her. Not even her name. He was always very secretive about it, though they weren't sure why. But it wasn't really his fault; Senna was the one who did not want people to know about it. If he could, he'd like nothing more than to shout to the world that this wonderful woman was his. She would always say that she wasn't ready, that it wasn't time yet. So when Ichigo popped the question, out of the blue, he was anticipating rejection.

But she said yes.

He sealed the best deal, got the job he wanted and was now engaged to the love of his life.

The day couldn't get any better than this.

It was 3pm in the afternoon, and he still had time before picking Senna up for the party. So without a second thought, Ichigo walked through the doors of his favourite café. Inhaling in the aroma of fresh brewed coffee, he strolled towards the counter and immediately eyed the one thing that he had craved for ever since he started avoiding this place. "One double-shot espresso and that strawberry muffin please."

"You're in luck, sir! The last one!"

Ichigo smiled while he reached for his wallet at his back pocket.

"Usually the muffins would be all sold out by now, especially this one. But we had a little mishap in the kitchen earlier and all our pastries were delayed. You're really lucky."

"Oh? Thanks!" The man usually hates chatty service staffs, but today, he was just in such a good mood, he even said thanks with enthusiasm.

His eyes involuntarily wandered around as he took his seat at one of the booths by the window. The place hasn't changed much since six months ago and the coffee was still as good. He started to wonder why he even avoided this establishment in the first place. And as if answering his question, a certain black-haired girl came into his view.

"Ah, that's why." But she looked… different today. There was something about her that made somewhat… pretty.

Excuse.

Did he really say that.

Oh god, this happiness thing has blinded him to the extent that he thought that witch was pretty.

But she was still. Different.

She looked his way and he gave a little smile.

-ooo-

What.

 _Did that bastard actually smile at me?_ For some reason, it irked Rukia to no end that he was happy. As if laughing at her face for all the misfortunes she had experienced today.

Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.

The petite girl decided that she didn't need another reason to hate today and will put her irritation aside and just ignore him. What the hell was he doing here in the first place. IGNORE.

-ooo-

20 minutes later, he was out the door to pick up a call. And the next thing you know, he was standing right in front of her.

"Will you marry me?"

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 _ **Am already writing the next one. No worries (:**_

 _ **Reviews are greatly appreciated :D**_


	2. When He Proposed

_Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews! I will be replying to some of them in my Author's note below!_

 _Here is the second chapter! I am so sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoyed this one as much as I enjoyed writing it! (:_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. But I wished I owned Byakuya. As usual, thank you Kubo-sensei, for blessing us with such a perfect man._

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"If you're worried about the paparazzi, I got that covered. It is strictly a staff-only event."

"Ichigo-kun…"

"Camera phones are not even allowed. Trust me. It would be like the event never even happened in the first place."

"Ichigo-kun, you know how important this opportunity is to me. This could be my _only_ _chance_ to break into the movie industry, you know that. I don't want to be stuck as a TV star. We've talked about this."

"I know, I understand, but I'm just asking for one night. Just one night. I will get you the first ticket out of Japan after tonight. Please."

"I'm really sorry, Ichigo-kun. Look, they're calling me and I really have to go now. I'll call you once I've landed, okay? I love you."

"Senna! Senna? SENNA?"

-ooo-

"Will you marry me?"

Wide violet eyes blinked twice at the question before looking straight ahead, completely ignoring the question or the questioner. Ichigo took another step towards the petite woman and repeated, "Will you marry me?"

"What." She finally spoke, after six whole months since their last conversation, as her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

"Are you deaf? I asked you if you wiLL AGREE TO MARRY ME." Frustrated by this woman's total lack of awareness on how awkward this was for him, Ichigo's request turned into a full-on yell towards the end. That was when he realise that yelling wasn't really helping his case. Nervous eyes stared at him from all corners of the café.

Yes, not helping his case. At all.

It was the first time anyone had popped such a question towards her. So she resorted to what any normal human being would have done when shocked… drop whatever they were holding.

In her case, it was a tray of half-drunk beverages she was clearing from the neighbouring tables. Coffee, tea and an ice-blended Berry-Beautiful with extra yoghurt splattered across Ichigo and the table he was occupying.

Awkward silence.

Somewhere in the near distance, a tumbleweed bounced across the road.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Ichigo hollered, blood veins threatening to burst straight out of the sides of his forehead.

"NO, ARE YOU?" Rukia screamed back with comparable decibels as she took out paper towels from her apron and started wiping the table frantically. "What kind of question was that?!"

"A simple one. Don't you understand basic Japanese? GIMME THAT." Completely regretting this, he grabbed a few paper towels from her hand and started cleaning himself dry.

Rukia always knew there was something wrong with him.

Ever since their first meeting, he a regular customer and she new on the job, he had been giving her weird looks. They got on well when talking, but every now and then, he would make eyes at her and the store owner, Ukitake. It wasn't long before he started asking her odd questions or giving her equally bizarre advices like: "Does your family know?", "Don't worry, I'll help you" and "You'll be alright soon."

Rukia usually ignores these, which would result in him sending more nasty looks at Ukitake. About three months later, everything came to light when Ichigo arrived at the café with a lawyer friend and blatantly stated that he was suing Ukitake for child labour.

And the rest was history.

So yes, there really was something wrong with this man and that pea-sized brain of his. But this?!

"Who the hell proposes to someone they barely even know? Oh my God, the chair!" Rukia watched in horror as the spilled beverages seeped into the booth chair's velvet cushion. "How am I going to pay for this? YOU! AND YOUR STUPID QUESTIONS."

"I had my reasons for asking that. If you didn't overreact and gave me time to explain, none of this would have happened."

"WHAT. I've had it with you! I couldn't care less about your reasons, the answer is NO! Now please leave." The waitress asserted while trying to sponge up the liquid from the chair, but the stains were obvious. She felt almost light-headed as she mentally calculated how much this would cost her.

Ichigo flung the used paper towels on the table and looked down at Rukia, "I will pay for that if you agree to marry me." She rolled her eyes and stood up, knowing it was impossible to salvage the chair now.

"Okay, I will pay for that if you allow me to explain before you reconsider your answer."

Giving him a side-glance, she walked over to the next booth and sat down. "You have five minutes. Also, I want cash upfront for the replacement of the chair."

Placing ¥50,000 on the table, he took the seat opposite Rukia and began, "This should be enough. So it is like this: my family owns a business and, for awhile now, there's been some kind of a fight between my extended family and mine on who heads the company. Currently, my father is heading the business but, soon, he will have to step down for the next generation."

He paused to see Rukia counting the notes he gave her before carrying on, "For now, my cousin and I are vying for the top spot. Naturally, my father hopes that I'll be the one taking over. Him being the current head and me having met every criterion, I have a good chance over my cousin, but there's only one problem. I'm not married or even engaged. And my cousin is." Rukia frowned, thinking to herself why that even was a problem.

As if answering her, Ichigo continued, "My family has long believed that business is done better when you have already settled down with someone because, then: finding love will not get in the way of focusing on the business; the wife will be able to help by building relationships with the client's partner and because a man who has settled down projects the image that he is responsible and reliable. My father has already announced that he will be handing over tonight, and if I don't turn up with a fiancée, my cousin will…"

"Tch, and you're only looking for a fiancée now? If it was so important in the first place, why didn't you get one earlier?" Rukia scoffed while pocketing the notes before crossing her arms across her chest.

"I had one, alright! But… but she bailed." Rukia wanted to laugh out loud after hearing that but stopped short after she caught sight of the sadness in his eyes.

He must've loved her.

"W-which is why, I'm asking you." He took a quick glance at her nametag. "Rukia-san, I need you to help me on this one little favour."

"Hmm, let me see." She answered putting a finger on her chin. "So, you want me to pose as your fiancée because you absolutely have to get engaged today else your whole future will be ruined?"

"Yes."

"I refuse." She replied with a smile.

Ichigo blinked. "WHAT? Wait, are you already in a relationship or something?"

"No, but being engaged is something huge. Why would I want to ruin my love life because of you?"

"It's just for a year or so, or maybe even a few months! We'll just come up with some story later on and break off the engagement."

"Kurosaki. Do you know the impact on me if someone finds out I was engaged before? What will people think of me then?" Placing a hand over her heart and quivering her lips, she continued, "I'm a decent and chaste woman, mind you."

"Look, no one will even know of the event. It will be like it never happened. You can go on with your life as usual after tonight. You might have to attend a dinner party or two, a few gatherings, some meetings… but that's about it!"

"Please, tongues will start wagging even if you don't want them to."

Ichigo was livid at this point, "Rukia-san. I _assure_ you that I will protect you no matter what."

"Ah big words. Anyone can say that. Your five minutes is up. Thank you for your patronage, please don't ever come again!" Rukia sang as she stood up.

Ichigo eyes darted around as he tried to find something, _anything,_ to say to stop this woman from leaving. Amber orbs fell onto the stained chair from earlier. He slammed a hand on the table and announced, "I will pay you for every month you are engaged to me."

Rukia felt her body shivered from her toes and through her spinal cord. How the hell did he find out my weakness? Argh. She sat back down and raised two fingers.

"What, 200- why don't you just rob a bank? ¥100,000." If she had anything in her mouth at that moment, she would've spat them out and made a mess of herself again. She was actually thinking of ¥20,000 per month, but if he insists…

"¥150,000, take it or leave it. And, another ¥20,000 for every event I have to attend."

"Fine. But you'll be on my beck and call whenever I need you."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Rukia could barely keep her smile. Ichigo sighed as he walked towards the door. "I'll pick you up here later at 5pm. Don't be late. I hate waiting." How did he get into this? Somehow, he knew he was going to regret this.

After mouthing his last words mockingly, she replied, "Yep! See you later Kurosaki-kun!" Letting out a hearty laugh once the doors of the café closed, Rukia danced around the establishment with glee.

"What you looking at. Drink your coffee." She chided onlookers before prancing back behind the counter.

The orange-head shuts the door of his Porsche and let out a huge breath he didn't know he was holding. Seriously, what the hell has he gotten himself into. He berated himself for drowning himself in work most of the time that he doesn't have much friends, let alone female friends; and the only female person he could think of outside of work was some girl that he met in a café. What is wrong with him.

 **From: Senna**

 **Sent: 3:46pm**

 **I'm really sorry, Ichigo-kun. Please understand that I'm doing this for us. I'll call you again when I land. You'll wait for me, right? I love you.**

Throwing his phone on the passenger seat, he sped off.

-ooo-

"What in the world are you wearing?" Ichigo expressed in disgust as he stared at Rukia who was clad in a fluffy purple dress with a huge ribbon on the side. The man knew she worked in a café, but she really didn't need to dress like a cake to prove it.

She scowled, "What do you mean what am I wearing?" It was her bestest, nicest and most expensive dress. She had saved for more than five months for this damn dress and couldn't bear to wear it since her prom night. And this man she barely knew is asking what in the world she was wearing? The nerve.

"No. No no no no. You're not going in that. No."

"Well, this is the best dress I have. And I'm not going to spend money on another dress just for an engagement party that isn't even mine. So you're just going to deal with it."

"I'm sorry, I can't deal with this. We still have time to get you something decent." He simply replied while walking towards his car, motioning for her to follow.

S-something decent? Was he saying that what she was wearing was _indecent_? Maybe her black pumps were a little outdated, but she could've sworn she saw a similar dress like hers in some fashion magazine some time back. What issue was that? She mumbled curses under her breath while hurriedly trying to match his long strides.

-ooo-

Now wearing a simple black tube dress with floral designs embossed onto its fabric and nude pumps, Rukia sat in the passenger seat listlessly. How was this dress better than hers? Pfft.

"Here." Ichigo handed her a couple of cue cards. "These are some information about myself, including my birthday, what I studied, my hobbies, my likes and dislikes."

She stared at the cards with a weird expression on her face. This man was really one-of-a-kind. "Why would I want to know your favourite colour, or what toothpaste you prefer? And, am I supposed to memorise all these?"

"It would be good if you could. At the very least, read through them so it won't be like we just met. Anyway, tell me about yourself."

Still reading through the cards – honestly who comes up with 12 full cards, double-sided, about themselves? Is he conceited or what? – she spoke slowly, "Well, my name is Rukia. I'm 21, but you should already know that." She gave him a dirty look. Ichigo gulped remembering what happened six months ago. "I'm currently studying Banking and Finance at Dangai University. No siblings. My hobbies include drawing and… only drawing. Prefer tea to coffee. Favourite animal is rabbit. Besides the café, I also teach at a cram school nearby."

Ichigo frowned at this, "How many jobs do you have?"

"Not enough. W-wait, this is where the party will be at? But I thought you said the party will be held at your workplace." She stuttered as Ichigo slowed down by the entrance of Shiba Hotel, one of the largest chain hotels in Japan.

"Yeah, it is my workplace."

"When you said "family business", I thought it was just small-time business selling party stuff or something."

"Party stuff?!" Ichigo almost shouted.

Damn, why did she even settled for just ¥150,000.

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 _By the way, ¥150,000 is about USD1,200. If you're wondering. Thank you for supporting my story! Reviews are greatly appreciated (:_

 _Replies:_

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	3. When They Got Engaged

_Hello again lovelies! I am on a roll! Which is why this chapter is up here so fast. Hope you enjoy it!_

 _As usual, thank you all for your wondrous support. It brightens up my day whenever I receive an email on your follows, favourites or reviews._

 _P.S. I usually do not update that fast... so please be patient with me! :X_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. When is the anime coming back, by the way?_

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"MY SONNNNNN!" Isshin cried while pouncing onto Ichigo. "You're late, you bastardddddd~!"

Mesmerised by the grand entrance of the ballroom, Rukia barely noticed that her fake fiancé was tackled and currently pinned face-flat on the ground. Her violet orbs were wide with amazement at everything since she entered Shiba Hotel. Marbled flooring, stone pillars with intricate carvings, huge paintings, luxurious furnishings and there was just something about the air that just smells… expensive. She took a deep breath.

"OH MY GODDDDDDDDD! YOU MUST BE THE GIRLFRIEND!" She almost choked while inhaling when she heard the ear-piercing shriek towards her. She turned to see two teenage girls standing before her. She could've sworn the brown-haired girl had glitter in her eyeballs. Like right in the irises.

"Uh-"

"Yes. Family, meet Rukia. Rukia meet family." Ichigo managed to utter while trying to stay alive under the weight of his father.

"Rukia! What a lovely nam-"

"Great, so someone finally wants my asshole of a bro-"

"RUKIA-CHANNNNN!"

There was seriously an interrupting problem in this family, Rukia thought. And it didn't end there.

"What does your name mean? Was it inspired by some-"

"How do you even tolerate-"

"Rukia-chan, let me just say I'm very glad that you've decided to look pass all these flaws and-" Isshin said, gesturing at the whole of Ichigo.

From the cue cards, there's the dad and his two sisters, Yuzu and Karin. His sisters looked and seemed lovely, Rukia thought to herself, smiling. Her eyes fall on Isshin who was emitting heart-shaped bubbles when looking at her.

That one, though, is a little queer.

"Your hands are so soft!-" Yuzu gushed as she held up Rukia's hands.

"He is literally a doorknob-"

"I'm so proud of you my boy! She's GOR-JAST"

"And you look so quaint! Those eyes!-"

"I feel sorry for you, honestly-"

"My boy! Is this the reason why you didn't introduce her to us earlier? Because she's underage?"

Rukia felt her eyebrows twitched.

What did he say. What the hell did he say. WHAT. DID. HE.

"ALRIGHT!" Ichigo interrupted, "We're late, aren't we? So why don't we all just head in. You guys can catch up with Rukia later." He pulled on the petite girl's arm, whisking her into the Grand Ballroom.

Whatever anger Rukia felt previously dissipated away the moment she walked in the ballroom. Everything was so immaculate and everyone was dressed to the nines. And the food, oh my God. Don't even get Rukia started on the food. There was enough to feed an entire army in here! She doesn't even know what half of them were but they just looked so tantalizingly delicious.

"This place- the food- oh my. So beautiful. So wow. Is this really your- my- engagement party? Wow." She was almost hyperventilating.

Ichigo smirked, "You speak as if you would never get engaged again. Not that I think you would, given your attitude."

"HEY. Of course I will be. And he will be every bit of a gentleman than you will ever be." Ichigo rolled his eyes at that. "It's just that I probably won't have an engagement party like this again."

"Anyway, the bathroom is this way. Take as much food as you want, but try not to stuff yourself. I'll be over there-"

"Hold on a sec! You're going to leave me alone?" Rukia said agitatedly.

Annoyed by her sudden outburst and fearing that anyone might hear them, he held both of her shoulders and spoke low and firmly, "I'm here for business as much as I'm here for this engagement thing. Maybe more on the business now that I'm engaged to you." Rukia scowled at this. "Just roam around, but remember, _don't talk to anyone_. I mean it. Even if someone approaches you, try to keep the conversation un-personal and try to end it quickly."

"Must really suck to be your real girlfriend." Ichigo opened his mouth to retaliate but was cut off, "I know I know. I'll be around. Bye." Rukia gave a little nonchalant wave before weaving through the crowd towards the food table. He sighed, was this really the right decision.

Were these people mad? Rukia thought when she finally reached the food table. It was almost an hour into the event, the food looked amazing and yet it was barely touched. Her eyes combed through the menu; are there really so many ways to do a salad? Fresh shellfish served on an ice platter looked like they swam straight from the ocean. There was even a sushi bar complete with a sushi chef who prepares them right in front of your very eyes. Entrees ranged from beef to chicken to fish and crustaceans. The fruit corner looked like a supermarket and there were so many different kind of desserts it would've put her café to shame.

"Would you like a plate, miss?" A waiter approached her with a plate in hand. Plate? She would probably need a tray. But she was in a dress that could've paid for her entire wardrobe, shoes and accessories included, with change to spare, so she decided she had to act the part.

As demure as possible, she answered as she took the plate, "Thank you."

-ooo-

As quietly and stealthily as she could manage, Rukia approached the table for her fourth helping. This deal was slowly becoming the best thing that has happened to her; her stomach has never felt this satisfied. "Rukia." She stopped, why the nerve of interrupting her.

"I'd like to introduce you to my colleagues. These are people I work very closely with, like I mentioned before." He added the last part in an awkward fashion, not that anyone noticed.

Rukia thanked the heavens that her mouth wasn't currently loaded with chow. She bowed curtly as Ichigo acquainted her with Orihime, Ishida, Shinji, Grimmjow and Nemu. Grimmjow. Wait, Grimmjow? This guy looked-

"YOU!" Rukia shouted as she pointed an accusing finger at the blue-haired dude, throwing away all her previous demeanor in the process.

"The fuck? I mean, God!" The accused clutched his forehead in embarrassment.

"What's going on?" Ichigo questioned, puzzled. Do they know each other? Shit.

"Look, dude, I'm sorry man." Grimmjow said as he placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder before continuing. "Hey kid, I apologise too." He bows, "I didn't know. God. I feel like such a douche right now. Oh man, this is awful. Y-you can punish or scold me or… whatever. I'm really sorry."

"Nah, it's okay." Rukia replied, deciding to be the bigger person here. But inside, she wanted to scream and tear his hair out. The audacity he had to appear in front of her after all that happened last night. Freaking pervert. Nevertheless, she had to admit, watching him squirm, like he is now, was oddly satisfying.

Ichigo frowned and gave Grimmjow a look that probably meant, "You. I. Speak later."

As if breaking through the awkward bubble that has formed around the trio, Orihime spoke, "Congratulations Kurosaki-kun! I- uh- This is so- I mean uh-, I am so happy for you! Really! That you've found the one that you really love, and will spend the rest of your life with, and uh- hahah, I am so happy for you that I'm tearing up- I should really stop talking now. I- uh- do you know where the restroom is?"

The rest of the group stared at her with a weird look.

"Oh! Hahaha- I worked here for so long, I should know. Silly me! Hahahahah." And she left.

"Okay, what was that?"

"Kurosaki. Are you an idiot?" The bespectacled man commented before turning towards Rukia and bowing diplomatically. "Anyway, nice to meet you…?"

"Just Rukia is fine."

"Ah. Rukia-san." They talked some more as she introduced herself to the other two in the group. Soon, one by one, they started to disperse to mingle with other guests in the party.

"Right! So far so good!" Ichigo thought out loud. "What the hell is with that look." He asked with narrowed eyes when he caught sight of Rukia eyeing him with doubt.

"That girl, just now, with the pretty hair and the big boobs," she started.

"Inoue? What about her?"

Rukia threw her head up, "God, you really are an idiot! I would bet my life that she likes you." Though she absolutely did not know why anyone would even consider liking this man.

"WHAT?!"

Yes! Why didn't he think of Inoue? She was his secretary, so anyone would know why he has to keep it a secret for so long. And he was pretty sure she would keep their deal a secret too. Instead, he went ahead without thinking and asked this total asshole of a midget. And now, Inoue actually likes him? Wait, she likes him? When did that start?

"Uhhh, in case you're thinking of backing out now and switching fiancées, you still owe me the appearance fee of ¥20,000." Rukia reminded.

"Bah, forget it. I've already introduced you to a bunch of people, no use changing now. I'm going to mingle around for a moment. Rukia, remember, same rules apply."

She waved him off, as usual, and wandered off to get something to drink.

"Your poison, miss?" The bartender asked as Rukia took a seat at one of the counter stools. She stared at him, and at the rows of alcohol and mixers behind him. It was ironic really that she didn't exactly drink, even when she once held a bartending job. Well, it only lasted three days, but still.

"Uhh… anything sweet?"

"We have the Piña Colada? Long Island Iced Tea? Lychee Mojito?" A whadda? It was as if he was speaking in another language.

"Uhh, the last one then. Thanks!"

That lying bastard. Her drink tasted bitter. But, oh well. Feeling bored already, she poked the lychee, that was served attached to a thin straw, around. How long do these parties last anyway?

"Hello!" She heard someone calling behind. A beautiful busty woman took a seat beside her. "Argh, this is my favourite place! One Cosmopolitan, please! You're the fiancée right?"

Alarm bells started blaring inside her head with Ichigo's voice saying "DON'T SOCIALISE." Rukia smiled curtly and nodded, her eyes darted around for anything she could use as an excuse to leave.

"I'm Matsumoto Rangiku. Nice to finally meet you! Oh, and this is Kira and Isane." She gestured to two other guests whom Rukia hadn't realise were there. Rangiku continued to talk about how excited she was to meet her, and something else, but Rukia had spaced out by then.

"Anyway, where's Ichigo?"

"Ichigo?" Who in the world is a Ichigo? "I am not sure… probably there." She pointed to the safest spot, a bunch of ladies crowding just beside the stage. Surely one of them was Ichigo.

"Huuuh~ But I don't see him there."

"Him? I don't think…" A guy named Ichigo? Seriously?

"HEY! Rangiku!"

"Ichigo!"

Rukia's eyes widened, "Oh! OH! You mean HIM. Ichigo! Yeah right! Oh I'm so sorry. It's just that I'm so used to calling him my strawberry muffin, I just- just momentarily forget his name-hahaha" And she tried her very best to cover up her nervousness with a high-pitched laugh and by hugging Ichigo's arm. Who would've thought he was named after a fruit.

What the fuck. "Uh- y-Right, my little honey midget." Ichigo added as he patted her hand that was currently slung unto his, earning a death glare from Rukia.

"AWWWW~! Aren't they just adorable?" Rangiku squealed. Ichigo quickly apologized to everyone while excusing himself and Rukia.

"I swear my arms are turning red." Rukia said as she yanked her arms from his grip once they were out of sight.

"Didn't I tell you not to talk to anyone? And what the hell, you didn't even know my name?!"

"Well, it wasn't in the cards!" She retaliated.

"Okay, okay; anything else you need to know?" Ichigo asked as he guided her to the backstage.

"I think the question should be: is there anything else that you need me to know?"

"Erm, I don't- what's your last name anyway? I think they would announce it on stage later."

"Wait- Stage? YOU NEVER TOLD ME ANYTHING ABOUT GOING ON STAGE!" Rukia yelled before realizing that she had followed Ichigo all the way to the back of said stage.

"This is our engagement party, for God's sake."

"Still. It didn't mean I have to stand up there and shower people with the glory of being trapped with the likes of you."

"Uhh. Yes, I think it kinda means that. That's the whole point of an engagement party." Ichigo pointed out.

"Don't get smart with me. And I don't have a last name." Rukia simply replied, slowly inching away from Ichigo towards the unused stage equipments left around.

"What do you mean you don't-"

"I JUST DON'T HAVE ONE OKAY?" The sudden outburst had shocked Ichigo, and he noticed right away that it was the first time she had yelled without actually looking at him.

"Okay. Hey, it's just another word anyway. Look, just stay here. I'll call you up later when it's time to go up." He walked towards the petite woman, lifting a hand and almost touching her shoulder. But ultimately, he decided against it and left the area.

Rukia sat on one of the chairs left at the back of the stage and stared into the distance for what seemed like an eternity before she was interrupted out of her stupor. "Miss Rukia?"

She turned to see a man with spiky black hair and a weird tattoo on his cheek. He had with him a whole tray of treats, including cakes, macarons, puddings, éclairs and cream puffs. "Master Kurosaki requested for these to be sent here?"

Rukia raised an eyebrow. She thanked the man before fiddling with one of the many pastries before her. She chuckled. Who was he trying to feed? Ryuzaki L? She guessed that he wasn't that bad afterall.

-ooo-

"… And I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce my beautiful fiancée, Rukia." Ichigo announced as Rukia joined him on stage. She gave an awkward wave at the audience. Applause accompanied with audible "awws" and "what a lovely couple" were heard from the crowd.

Rukia felt like she was going to have a mini panic attack. Was she smiling too wide? Were her lips quivering? Was she standing straight enough? One of her hands shot up to adjust her hair. Okay, she really shouldn't have done that. She gawkily put her hand down again, but now… where does she put her hands? How do people even do this? Whatever this is.

But before she could over-think again about her appearance, Ichigo was already standing beside her with one hand behind her waist. "My dear Rukia is currently still pursuing her degree, so I hope that all of you here will respect our privacy as mentioned before. Once again, thank you all for coming here and please enjoy the rest of the evening."

* * *

 _I don't really drink... so I just Googled the cocktails that you read here. Please forgive me and my uncultured soul. Honestly, I added the last three paragraphs on impulse. Not really sure if I liked it that much. But oh well. Reviews are appreciated!_

 _Replies:_

 _ **Guest2:** Yay! Thank you so much! I hope you loved this one too!_

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	4. When Their Roles Are Reversed

_Welcome to the new chapter! :D_

 _I have to admit that I procrastinated a little after writing half of this chapter... but here it is! I hope you enjoy it! And as always, I would be leaving replies for reviews (for those with no accounts) down below. Thank you for your patience and support thus far! :D_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters. But seriously, what the hell is with the quincies man._

* * *

Apart from a few awkward questions about his faux fiancée, the event went pretty well in Ichigo's opinion. Rukia had kept by her word and was out of sight for the remainder of the party so Ichigo can concentrate on mingling with current and potential clients. So much so that when the party finally ended, Ichigo took close to half an hour finding that damn midget. When he finally did, she was curled up into a ball at the corner of the bar counter. He gave the bartender a questioning look, which prompted him to answer that the lady had ordered almost everything on the menu that was listed under "Sweet" cocktails.

Ichigo rolled his eyes before approaching her and giving a firm shove. She didn't even budge. He took a deep breath and continued to pat on her shoulder.

There isn't anything in the world more irritating than having someone continuously tapping you when you're half asleep. She gave an exasperated growl before standing up, losing her balance in the process. Who in the world gave her these ridiculous shoes.

He let out a huge sigh, though it wasn't part of the agreement to send her back, he decided that perhaps he could do her this one favour. But the orange-head immediately regretted it the moment he carried her into the backseat of the car.

"Where to, Master Kurosaki?" asked his assistant, Hisagi Shuuhei without looking back from the driver's seat.

Rearranging the drunken girl's posture, he answered gruffly, "Hold on."

"Oi, where do you stay?"

"Somewhere in front," she slurred.

"What?" Ichigo almost shouted. Seriously, he was positive that he made an agreement for a fiancée, not to be a babysitter. He grumbled as he clasped the safety belt on for her. "Hisagi, just drive. Rukia, where do you stay?"

"Uhh." She struggled before plastering her face on the window. It started to fog up as she breathed, "let me see. Hold up, my vision's getting blurry. I swear my eyesight is 20/20. Okay okay, do you see that white house up ahead?"

"Hisagi." Ichigo called while Shuuhei nodded.

"Yeah, that's not my house."

If she wasn't a woman, Ichigo would have smacked her by now.

"Just drop me at the café" She finally said while trying to get her hair out of her face.

"You stay at the café?!"

"No… but all of my stuffs are there." She exhaled as if realising for the first time she had fingers, Rukia stared hard at her outstretched hands. "I was thrown out that day. Which day was it? I had no money to pay for my rental and all that shit. And… I think my landlord is actually… shh don't tell anyone." She looked at Ichigo straight in the eye with her index finger over her lips. "He is actually Stalin."

"Stalin was dead long ago."

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT." Shuuhei checked on the vehicle's windows to make sure they weren't cracked. "It's a conspiracy. And I just got DUMPED. By my HOUSE."

"Okay, I'm not even going to listen to you now. Shuuhei, just go to the café."

"Speaking of houses, today at work," She paused to hiccup, "I blew up a bagel."

"That's… that's not even related to houses."

"I KNOW! Who blows up bagels? Worst day of my life. But I met this guy and he proposed to me! What? Not Ashido! What the hell are you saying?" She playfully hit on his arm.

"I'm not saying anything." By then, Ichigo wasn't even looking at her and just stared out of the window, wishing the café was nearer.

"Ashido is a jerk. A DOWNRIGHT JERK. This is another guy. Well, he didn't exactly proposed to me. But he's giving money for doing absolutely nothing!"

"Yeah, and he's regretting it every second."

"You know him too? Such an idiot, right? Best day of my life."

"Hey hey hey! Who you calling an idiot?"

"Wait. I'm engaged to a guy I barely know. And he's named after a sissy fruit. What have I done? WORST DECISION EVER."

"I don't even know why I'm putting up with you." Ichigo's scowl deepens, "Hisagi, let's just go back to Shiba."

"Yes, Master Kurosaki."

It was another ten minutes of nonsense spouting out from her mouth with occasional hiccups before Hisagi pulled over at the entrance of Shiba Hotel. "Is this my house? Is this my new house?" Rukia exclaimed as she pressed her face on the window. "Oh my God, ¥150,000 can get you such a house? Best decision ever." Rukia garbled as she unhooked herself from the seatbelt and stumbled out of the car.

Ichigo followed after and walked past her towards the hotel lobby. "Ichigo, wait." Praying silently that it wasn't one of her gibberish again, he turned back.

"Thank you, Ichigo." She let out a smile, which Ichigo noted was pretty stunning despite her messy hair, smudged make-up and creased dress. He let out a soft smile as well. She may be annoying but she did help him out this time.

"By the way, that is the most ugliest hair I've ever seen."

On second thought, screw this. This was really the worst day of his life.

 **To: Senna**

 **From: Ichigo**

 **Sent: 1:32am**

 **Yeah. Have a safe trip. I'll be busy the next few days.**

-ooo-

Adjusting her position on the bed, she squinted as an intruding ray of light hit her face. Rukia covered her face with the duvet. The last time she checked, her room didn't have any windows. Hold up, since when did she have a duvet. Her hands frantically searched the bed for that odd lump which was supposed to be on the left side of her mattress but were only met with an endless surface of the smooth and soft Egyptian cotton bed sheet.

This wasn't her room.

Her eyelids sprang open to reveal her large amethyst orbs. Where is this place?

With a face full of fear and regret, she slowly lifted up the duvet to peek underneath. Her eyes widened. Where were her clothes?!

A blood curdling scream was released on mankind.

-ooo-

After accusing Shuuhei, who introduced himself as Ichigo's personal assistant, for rape, it took Rukia about three minutes before she recollected last evening's event. Which explained why she was in this black fancy dress, instead of her own clothes. She managed to croak out an awkward "O-ooohhhh" before excusing herself into the bathroom to wash herself up.

If Shuuhei wasn't waiting for her outside, Rukia would have spent five hours in that bathroom. It was her first time seeing a bathtub, let alone one that could easily fit three human beings. The shampoo and body soap provided smelled like heaven mixed with a thousand rose petals. "With Collagen and Vitamin E," she read, "Sounds like food. Whatever that means," before dumping the whole bottle into the bathtub.

And she swore that the bathroom was at least two times bigger than her whole apartment. Damn that personal assistant.

Having spent almost an hour to make every spot of her body spick and span in her bubble bath heaven, she sheepishly tiptoed out of the bathroom with a shy, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Shuuhei stood up, "No worries. Master Kurosaki has requested for me to pass you this." He said curtly while handing a cheque of ¥170,000 to Rukia with two hands, which Rukia also received with two hands. Because she was a fine lady. "Miss Rukia, if you're ready, please allow me to send you to wherever you need to be this morning."

Her eyes gleamed at the paper in front of her very eyes, mentally counting the number of zeros that were imprinted on it. She has, honestly, never seen so much money in her entire life. Okay, she has never seen so much money in her entire life that is NOT on the bottom of a bill statement. "Miss Rukia?"

She swallowed, before nodding and following Shuuhei out of the hotel room.

-ooo-

Rukia locked the door to her apartment and skipped down the stairs. It has been two week since she got "engaged", and nothing much happened since then. Being engaged sure is weird. She still had to keep her jobs since her pay was all used to pay up the three months of rental she owe "Mr Stalin" but, at least, now she has a place to stay.

Ichigo did stop by the café once to have her personally sign a contract that states the rules of their engagement. But she never saw him again. Not that she's complaining. In fact, she didn't mind it one bit. She was back to her own peaceful life with a monthly paycheck for doing absolutely nothing. Life was definitely looking up.

-ooo-

Slamming the mug on the table, he declared, "Since we're all here today, I have a confession to make."

Ichigo raised a single eyebrow at his friend, "What is it, Grim?" They were having one of their guys night out thing, only this time it was noon. And they were cramped in a small booth in the corner of a yakitori restaurant, highly recommended by Renji. Uryuu couldn't stop thinking about how much his hair would stink after this session.

"Y'know that day. That day. That very day-like two weeks ago or something. Who counts? But that day." Grimmjow struggled.

"I wish I knew what day it was." Uryuu commented, not that he really wanted to know.

"The day. Before your faithful engagement thing party… thing."

"Yeessss?" Ichigo was scowling by now. He started to recall that weird conversation he had with Grimm and his "fiancée".

"Yeah, just the day before that day, I…. I… I kindasortamaybe had hit on your fiancée."

"… what do you mean kinda… sorta?" Well, Ichigo never saw this coming. Here he was having a gazillion thoughts swimming through his mind on how they might have met each other before his engagement, but he didn't really thought it would be something… romantic in nature. And the "kinda-sorta" wasn't helping.

"Hey! It means what it means, man! Stop interrogating me!"

"I wasn't interrogating you! I just asked you what you meant! And maybe, trying to know what the hell you did to my fiancée."

"BUT YOU HAD A TONE. ADMIT IT. And I didn't do anything. It wasn't like I was thinking of doing anything. NO I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. AND I DON'T THINK." Grimmjow was screaming at the top of his lungs at this point.

"NOW I'M GETTING SUSPICIOUS."

"WAIT WAIT WAIT HOLD UP!" Renji yelled and placed both hands in front of each of their faces before looking at Grimmjow. "I thought you always hated Senna."

Grimmjow frowned behind Renji's palm, "The hell you talking about? I still do."

Adjusting his glasses with his middle finger, the man spoke, "Maybe I should explain this, Kurosaki didn't get engaged to Senna."

The red-head snapped his head to stare incredulously at Uryuu. "What do you- wait, then who?"

"Yeah, it was some other chick." Grimmjow replied, relieved that the attention wasn't on him anymore.

"Whom you sorta kinda did something indecent to." Ichigo shot.

Or maybe not.

"I DID NOT. Look, I didn't do anything. Alright? And you were there. She forgave me. So let's just forget this ever happened okay? It is making me feel really uncomfortable." And in a bid to signify the end of this discussion, he slapped hard at Ichigo's back and announced, "ANYWAY, we should all be congratulating Ichigo for finally growing some balls and dumping that lil' shit!"

"I HAVE BALLS."

"Okay okay," Grimmjow backed away, "you didn't need to announce it like you were starting a campaign over the existence of your genital organs."

Ichigo went a little red before letting out a huge sigh, "Look, I asked you guys out today because… I don't know, I'm feeling pretty vexed."

The days after the engagement party had been hell for Ichigo, and he had been trying to escape it all by burying himself in work. Senna gave him a call, as promised, the next day when she landed in America. He debated with himself if he should tell her that he went on with the party, but decided to just avoid the topic altogether. They spoke for about an hour, mostly she talked about how it was like there, who she met, her schedule for the coming weeks and comforting him that it won't be long before she was back in his arms. She would drop him occasional texts and would request to call or Skype everyday. But with every word she spoke, he couldn't determine if he felt guilty for getting engaged, betrayed that she left him, or relieved that she still loved him.

"Maybe I should have waited."

Grimmjow groaned. "Dude, you have already waited for her for at least 84 years."

"Yeah, but it's just six months. You know, I really should have waited… Instead of making such a rash decision."

"And she will ask for another three years. Come on! If she couldn't just spare that ONE night before flying to attend a stupid dinner party with you, just forget it man."

But how could he? Senna was his first love. Is his first love, and he still loves her. They just didn't understand.

-ooo-

Rukia kicked the same rock for the 52nd time as she walked home from school with her teacher's voice still ringing in her head. "Rukia, what have you been doing? You better buck up in your studies. This cannot do. You might lose your scholarship if you fail this module."

The petite girl breathed out. She decided that she would treat herself to a good meal today. Though she didn't really have much money left, but she deserved it. Before she went back to her tiny apartment and drown herself in world of texts and numbers.

And by good meal, she meant that Ramen Shop she has been dying to try that serves up a bowl of ramen for just ¥400!

-ooo-

"Hisagi. Call Rukia now." Ichigo demanded without looking up from his computer and continued typing away.

Shuuhei opened his mouth, wanting to say that he didn't have her number, but decided against it when he saw how stressed up his boss was. He dialed the number to the café and to his horror…

"SHE DOESN'T HAVE A- WHO THE FUCK DOESN'T HAVE A CELLPHONE." Ichigo hollered.

"Master Kurosaki, it seems that she doesn't have a home phone too as her landlord said, and I quote, she felt that she doesn't need one. No one calls her anyway. And she didn't want to pay the extra maintenance fee for it."

"What in the world is wrong with that woman. So how do we contact her? You spoke to her landlord, right? So where does she live?" Ichigo asked as he walked across the room to retrieve his jacket before leaving the office. "God damn it, of all the fake fiancées I could have picked."

* * *

 _And that's all I have for now! Do leave a review if you want :D And I just want to reiterate that I'm really appreciative of each and every review, favourite and subscription. It always makes my day :D_

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 _I can never say enough thank yous for all your support thus far. You people are such angels (:_

 _Till next time! Happy November! :DDD_


	5. When She Doesn't Have A Phone

_**It's IchiRuki week! And I'm glad I could make it for this update. I really love it that my Tumblr is filled with fanart of Ichigo and Rukia (:**_

 _ **How have you been enjoying IchiRuki week? (:**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters. I do love all of them to bits though. Except, maybe that scary As Nodt thing.**_

* * *

 **To: My Ichigo-kun3**

 **From: Senna**

 **Sent: 8:02pm**

 **Good morning darling! I had a dream about you last night :) We were dining at Le Chateau and your duck confit came alive into a real duck! It was hilarious! :) I miss you. Hope you had a great day!**

-ooo-

She was looking forward to that ramen meal. She really was. But she couldn't say no to this strong temptation as she walked past it. It drew her attention like protons to electrons. She was supposed to be sitting at the counter right now with a bowl of hot steaming ramen before her. But no.

What was she thinking.

It wasn't her first time here. In fact, she indulged in the guilty pleasure of coming in here once every two weeks. Not too little to get withdrawal symptoms, but not too much that she would descend into doing something she'll regret for the rest of her life. But now that she finally has a little extra cash, she simply couldn't resist the urge.

The burning compulsion to purchase...

Her very first Chappy merchandise.

With a slight blush in her cheeks, Rukia stared hard at the shelf of white bunnies before her. It was daylight robbery for these things to be so expensive. A notebook for more than ¥2000. You've got to be kidding me. Within the next few minutes, she went from slowly admiring every single product to frantically searching high and low for something she would consider affordable.

It was a good 30 minutes before she decided on a small trinket. Priced at ¥700, it was still the most stupidest purchase she ever made. But she reasoned with herself that it was a once-in-a-lifetime investment; furthermore, it was a limited edition product from the tele-movie "Chappy's Sea Adventure".

It was worth it.

-ooo-

"Doesn't have a cellph- what day and age is this" mumbled Ichigo as he drove down the streets looking for his "fiancee's" apartment block. After almost an hour of searching, Shuuhei had resorted to contacting her school in order to find out where she lived. Interestingly though, it was also somehow made known to the pair that she had entered the university on scholarship. For someone supposedly that smart, he found it hard to believe that she wasn't caught up in technology.

He weaved through the city center before arriving at what seemed like an abandoned part of Karakura that he didn't even know existed. He slowed down his vehicle just as the lady in the GPS system informed him that he was one kilometer away from his destination.

Outdated flyers, pages of newspapers from months ago and empty beer bottles littered the place. Ichigo scowled. How can a frail-looking girl like her live in such a place. Clutching on to the piece of paper, which contained her address written in Shuuhei's neat, almost typographic, handwriting, he walked cautiously towards a five-stories building that looked like it was left unkempt for years that the paint was severely weathered. Or, it could be that it was painted in a colour that had the description "Dirty Gray". Ichigo chose not to believe the latter.

-ooo-

Holding on triumphantly to her overpriced trinket, Rukia strolled into a supermarket a few blocks away from her house and went straight for the sales corner. Bright starburst signs containing various products and its offered price invaded her vision. Rukia often imagined that this was what heaven truly looked like. With rows and rows of neon-coloured signs and it's accompanying cheap deals.

She picked up a couple of vegetables, some canned food and a box of oolong tea. On her way to the cash register, she stopped to pick up a packet of instant ramen so that it would seem like she didn't actually betrayed her original plan.

Her brisk strides turned to slow steps when she started to notice that everyone clad in the supermarket's ugly green and yellow uniform were looking at her with a shit-eating grin. She immediately checked her hoodie for stains. How queer. The ebony-haired girl narrowed her eyes as she slowly and cautiously placed her items on an empty counter.

Before you could breathe, confetti exploded around her and loud corny celebratory tunes were played throughout the store. Her eyes widened at the sudden outburst.

What in the world is happening?

-ooo-

Rukia lived in the top storey of the apartment building. After a few buzzes that went unanswered, Ichigo let out an exasperated sigh. Where the hell was she? To add to his dismay, none of her neighbours knew her well enough to tell him what time she'd be back.

"Wow. She rarely had any visitors. There's one I remember. Actually... he kinda look like you a little." Her landlord, a burly man who wore sunglasses even though they were indoors, said. Ichigo eyed the man. So this was the guy she talked about. The... Stalin. "Well, I can't say I know much about her. She just comes and goes like a mouse. I barely notice her ... apart from her outstanding bills."

The man walked out of the apartment building dejectedly and stared up at the sky. Should he just leave and postpone the date?

-ooo-

So apparently, she was the supermarket's 50,000th visitor and she had just won herself one of these Beats headphones. She inspected the product in her hands while walking towards her apartment block. She didn't have any device to listen to anything from... so why would she need headphones? Perhaps she could sell it. But where?

"So you really know where Rukia is? Will you bring me to her?"

That voice sounded familiar.

"... y-yeahhh. But mah memory's a lil' dodgy. Would help if I gotten some ... for some dope or sum-fing."

That one... not so familiar. Looking up, she saw her fake fiancé digging into his wallet and handing over a wad of cash to a dubious-looking man clad in an over-sized blazer and tattered pants.

She rolled her eyes.

Snatching the notes before the man's scrawny fingers could reach them, she spoke, "If you had that much cash to spare, you could just donate it to the Rukia Charity Fund."

"R-rukia!"

She slapped the money back in Ichigo's hands and continued, "You do realize that the first time this man has ever heard of the name Rukia was from you right?" She turned to the conman and yelled, "PISS OFF!" Ichigo stared innocently as the man showed a crude hand sign before rearranging his coat and taking off.

"I can't believe you actually thought I was somehow associated with that man. What are you doing here anyway?" She was about to add how he even knows where she lived in the first place, but decided not to. Rich people have their ways, she guessed.

Snapping out of his stupor, Ichigo barked, "Where the hell have you been? Why don't you have any form of communication device on you? Is this a place to even live? We need to go." Without hesitation, he grabbed on to Rukia's arm and walked down the street towards his car. Her bulky plastic bags of groceries a clear hindrance as Rukia struggled to keep up with his pace.

"Where are we going?"

"My house. The family wants to have dinner with you."

"Whaaaaat."

"Yeah, they've been bugging me all week about you with questions like how were you, where have you been, what is your favourite food, which school did you go to, when can they see you again, why don't you have A FUCKING CELLPHONE."

The petite girl frowned. "I thought you would have told them the truth."

"Get in." He demanded as he took the plastic bags from Rukia's hands and placed them in the boot.

"I can't tell them the truth, are you crazy? The old man can't keep a secret even if his life depended on it. I can't trust him."

"Still, I wasn't really informed that I had to attend any family dinners. Posh events where all I have to do is keep my mouth shut, I'm good. But intimate events where I have to actually get to know you... I would not prefer."

"Look, Miss Rukia. As an EMPLOYEE, you don't really have a choice." Rukia scoffed at this. "Though your outfit is really an eyesore, we don't really have time to change now. And we have a few things to discuss."

Rukia instinctively looked down at her clothing. Her yellow hoodie was somewhat new and she just washed her shoes the day before. Paired with her skinny jeans, she didn't look THAT bad. Why is he so obsessed about her fashion choices anyway.

 _Was he gay?_

It all made sense to her now. Why he had to keep his lover under wraps all along. Why his lover had gotten cold feet and abandoned him on the day of their supposed engagement. Rukia narrowed her eyes at Ichigo.

"Right, first things first." Ichigo spoke while keeping his eyes on the road, "They would probably be asking us how we met. And since you're still working at that cafe, we could have met there."

"We did meet there." Rukia stated nonchalantly while she looked around the car. The first time she was in his Porsche, she remembered that it was almost spotless, accompanied with a slight lemony-fresh smell. This time, the lemony smell was still there but she spotted a few shoujo mangas thrown haphazardly in the back seat. Smiling to herself, she thought that her previous hypothesis might not be too far from the truth after all.

"I've been doing some... research and I'm thinking maybe me saving you from falling or something which is why we began conversing."

Pulling her concentration back to the conversation, Rukia flipped her short black tresses and gibed, "Why do I have to be some clumsy person? How about you got dumped by your then-partner, and like a ray of light, I appeared in your life and gave you hope again."

"NO WAY!" Ichigo roared as he glared at his passenger for a split second, "I don't want to sound like a dweeb."

"At least mine was closer to the truth."

"I'm the one PAYING for this fake relationship."

Clutching on to her seatbelt as if holding on to her dear life, Rukia exclaimed in her signature dramatic high-pitched voice, "Ohhhh~ What am I to do? I'm so ditzy, I cannot function real life. Thank the heavens for blessing me with this man of great balance."

His scowl got deeper as he continued, "We mutually agreed to pursue a relationship together within six months of talking. And we've been dating for three years. I've been keeping you a secret all these time because you're still studying. By the way, have you memorized everything in the cue cards from the other time?"

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at "mutually agreed". Who uses that kind of language in a relationship? "Okay. And who has the time?"

"You had two weeks!"

They spent the rest of their journey arguing back and forth about where they had their first date, their first kiss, what their favourite dating activities were, etc. Ichigo preferred quiet places and concerts or plays, Rukia liked carnivals and arcades where she could win stuff. He had to teach her how to pronounce the names of some of his favourite restaurants where they would have had their "dates". She told him about a shop that sells ¥400 for a bowl of ramen in which he promptly declared that didn't really like ramen. He liked the idea of having picnics in the summer; she hated the heat because of her lack of air-conditioning at home. She enthused about ice-skating rinks that gave free admissions during winter festivals; he didn't know how to skate.

"If we ever took a compatibility test, our results would be negative 1395."

"Okay okay, do you have any other hobbies or something?" Rukia asked, as she leaned her head back onto the headrest, exhausted from their discussion.

"Well… There's a… uhh… I used to play soccer. In high school. But now that you mentioned it, I don't have much free time from work anyway to have any kind of hobby."

Knocking her fist on her palm – thonk! – she announced, "Well, that's one thing we have in common."

"That's not going to help with anything." Ichigo sighed agitatedly.

-ooo-

"DO YOU LIVE IN A CASTLE?!" Rukia almost screamed as they drove past the huge metal gates towards the Kurosakis' residence. A bricked pathway led the vehicle past two rows of well-tended bushes before ending at a roundabout with a grand water fountain in the middle. The house was a two-storey mansion with white walls and columns topped by grey tiled roofs. Rukia had lost count of how many windows there were. The place looked straight out of a movie. And marbled flooring, people. MARBLED FLOORING.

A tall man, who she suspected was the butler, greeted them as they stepped out of the car. Her eyes were instantly glued to how shiny and white everything there was and could barely keep her mouth close as she took in everything around her.

"Chad, at your service." The man spoke before giving a curt bow and stretching his hand towards her.

Rukia stared at his huge tanned hands for a second before taking it and giving it a good shake. "Nice to meet you, I'm Rukia!" Her movements slowed down when his face turned from stoic to absolutely mortified.

Okay what did she do wrong this time?

He quickly took his hand back and explained, "Y-your coat or bag. I meant to take your coat or your bag, miss."

The petite woman was flushed red. Oh. _Oh._

"It's okay, Chad. We're good here." Ichigo said from behind as he pulled Rukia by her hood. In a low voice he spoke, "So, I know you've met my dad but this is him in his natural habitat. So he tends to be a little... how should I put it... psychotic? Anyway, just be like how you were at the engagement party. Don't speak or react too much. Don't be nervous. He can sense these kind of things."

"If anything, whatever you just said had increased my nervousness by ten-folds. Thank you very much-"

She was rudely interrupted by the sounds of things falling and crashing down from within the house. She frowned. What's going on?

"Oh yeah, and when I say duck, duck."

"Huh?"

"DUCK!"

Of course, she didn't.

And she find herself face flat on the shiny marble she was admiring from before with a huge weight above her. Her eyes grew wide in horror. What's happening? What has she gotten herself into? She felt the thing above her squeezing her sides, she was losing her consciousness…

She should have known. She should have known that there would never ever be a deal this good.

This is it. This is the end.

"YOU'RE SUFFOCATING HER GOAT-FACE!" Ichigo yelled as he kicked his father to the driveway.

"IIIIIIICHIGOOOOO~! Daddy was just trying to give a warm greeting to his third daughterrrrrrrr!"

Coughing air back into her lungs, Rukia felt herself being hoisted up to her feet. "She's not your third daughter!" She heard her saviour holler as he guided her into the house. Psychotic was truly an understatement.

-ooo-

With one trembling hand, Rukia slowly reached her chopsticks out towards the Norwegian Cod baked in Shoyu Sauce. Before she could reach its tantalizing white flesh-

"Sooooo... how did you guys meeeet~~!" Yuzu questioned eagerly.

 _Damn._ They were all seated around the biggest dining table that Rukia has ever seen with a huge spread of Yuzu's homecooked dishes. For the past hour or so, the Kurosakis, minus Ichigo, had whisked her from room to room as they gave her a brief tour of the house. But with such a big house, Rukia was starving by the time they reached the dining room.

"We met at Mitty's, where Rukia also works at." Ichigo explained calmly. Rukia placed her chopsticks by her bowl of rice and looked longingly at the cod.

"Oh! This is so cute! But howww~" Yuzu and Isshin gushed, while Karin couldn't be bothered.

"I was a regular customer. One day, she fell and I helped her up. That's how we started talking." Ichigo replied without missing a beat. Rukia gulped hoping they would buy their story albeit Ichigo sounding so... mechanical.

"Oh... So what did you guys talked about at first?"

"Uhh.. You know. Stuff."

"Right..."

The whole visit has been the definition of awkward. During the tour, the girls had bombarded her with questions like where she studied, what she liked to do in her free time or what sports does she play, etc. She took a quick glance at where Ichigo was supposed to be for the go ahead to speak, only to realise he wasn't there. That bastard had left her totally defenseless. Giving a slight giggle, she tried to reveal as little as possible which really meant one-word answers.

She had continue to keep quiet for most of the dinner, lest she say something wrong and get her pay deducted or something. Which is why, right now, it seemed that the thick veil of awkwardness also affected the dinner. It really didn't help that the black-haired younger sister was currently giving her a disapproving look.

-ooo-

Shutting the door, Ichigo let out a sigh of relief. It was becoming almost unbearable in that environment of cold stares and deafening silence. But, alas, his peace was never meant to last.

"YOU! During the tour, WHERE WERE YOU. You totally abandoned me back there! I didn't know how to react to your sisters!" He turned to face the girl with her hair in disarray from when he practically grabbed her out of the dining room.

"ME?! You're the one acting like you're on mute for the whole dinner!"

Jabbing her slender index finger on his chest, she retaliated. "Don't come blaming me! I was sneaking glances at you for permission to speak but you continued to stare straight ahead at God knows what!"

"I was trying to remember my lines!"

"Some lines!" Rukia slumped onto a cushioned-stool. "Now, the whole visit is a disaster."

Dropping his shoulders, he replied, "You think I didn't notice? That weird atmosphere? Even goat-face was quiet. And he is like the King of Obliviousness."

Hiding her face in her hands, Rukia stammered, "T-they probably think I'm the most unfriendliest person in the planet. Y-you're not going to deduct my pay, right?"

Scratching the back of his head, Ichigo sighed, "Nah. I won't. You tried. And I don't really need them to like you. It won't change the fact that you're my fiancée." He, then, straightened up and stretched his right hand towards Rukia. "Well, come on, let's get this over and done with and just pray they believe us. They're probably waiting for us in the TV room."

She was really tempted to just take his hand and act as if none of this mattered. But she couldn't ignore that nagging feeling in her mind. "No. No no no no."

"No?"

"Ichigo. Would you have liked a person like me?"

Ichigo jumped and almost screamed in shock. "W-what?!"

Rolling her eyes, she continued, "Stop being a child. I meant your family knows you, so if it isn't likely that you would fall for someone as hostile as I was back there, then how are we going to convince them."

"Well, you've got a point. But really, it doesn't matter. I chose you. So they should just accept it..." He trailed off at the end of the sentence as an image of Senna flashed in his mind. _The one he had originally chosen._

"I've got an idea!"

-ooo-

"GIFTS." Rukia yelled as she stormed through the door and dumped a plastic bag of stuff on the coffee table. Everyone else in the room just stared at her in shock.

She had long passed her limit of patience having spent a great amount of time running around the mansion trying to find Ichigo's car and where the TV room was while trying to avoid knocking over any of their furniture. She literally did not have enough years in her lifespan to pay for any of these things.

To hell with rich people and their unnecessarily huge houses and expensive shit.

"Gifts?" Isshin broke the silence.

Catching her breath, Rukia nervously answered, "Yes. I brought. Offerings. For you. People. Folks. Family."

Wide eyes were still glued to the frazzled girl as Ichigo walked cautiously towards her. She was in a messier state than when she first sprinted out of the room they were in minutes ago. "Rukia, what's wrong? What are these?" He said in a concerned tone.

"Gifts!"

Rukia took out a box of tea from the bag, stood in front of Isshin, gave a little bow and presented it to him. Squeezing her eyes shut, she hoped and prayed to every deity in the world that he doesn't recognize that this is an inferior brand of tea that was on sale at J-mart. She had removed the price tag as well as the "OFFER PRICE" tag prior, but still.

The next sound she heard, however, caught her totally off-guard.

Isshin let out a hearty laugh as he took the box from Rukia. "Oolong~~! What a thoughtful child you are! Hahahaha!" He said as he patted her head. Rukia felt a small smile crept up to her face.

Based on the information she had on the twins given by Ichigo, she proceeded to pass the headphones she had won to Karin and her beloved Chappy trinket to Yuzu. The latter with much resistance on her part. It was a miracle that the young teen did not notice the tension in Rukia's grip and the veins threatening to burst out of her wrists.

She, then, shakily explained that she had been jittery the whole visit as it was the first time meeting Ichigo's family and that she didn't meant to be rude or anything.

The gifts worked as it spawned a whole lot of new conversations; Isshin asking Rukia if she enjoyed tea, Karin asking her what music she was into, and Yuzu sharing her love for the white bunny. Once again, she gave a nervous side-glance at Ichigo for permission.

This time, Ichigo gave her a smile and a small nod.

-ooo-

"I'm impressed." Ichigo stated as he pulled out of the driveway after saying their goodbyes. "And curious too. Did you buy those gifts beforehand or something?"

In a ghost-like tone, Rukia groaned, "Nooo..." She covered her face as she leaned her head down on the dashboard in front of her. "I spent a whole fortune on that trinket to treat myself. And those headphones. It was the first time ever that I won anything. At all. And now, they're just... gone."

He chuckled. "Thank you, Rukia."

"Bah."

 **To: Senna**

 **From: Ichigo**

 **Sent: 8:46pm**

 **Hey. Lol, that was a cute dream. I miss you too, Senna. Really wished you were here with me now.**

" _I'm sure they would have loved you too."_

* * *

 ** _As promised, this chapter is longer than my previous ones! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it._**

 ** _I will be going on a holiday soon! So I would like to apologise beforehand as my next update might be a little late as well._**

 ** _Reviews are much loved and appreciated! :DD_**

 _Replies (Note: There a few "Guest"s this time, so I'm replying by chronological order)_

 _ **Guest2:** I'm glad you found it funny! :D I try. xD Ah. Yes. I didn't enjoy watching Senna near Ichigo in that movie too. Ew. But alas, I have added her in my story. Hahha. Thanks for the review (:_

 ** _Guest:_** _I do too! I still can't believe she's freaking 150 in the manga. Hahaha and yes, I try to stay true to Ichigo's oblivious personality (: Thanks for the review!_

 ** _Guest:_** _I'm really glad to hear you loved the story! And yes! I actually added that part upon realising that I've never really mentioned Ichigo's name in front of Rukia. Hahhaa._

 ** _Guest:_** _Yes, she doesn't o_o! I guess that's the OOC-warning part for this story. That Rukia is really poor. Hahaha. Awww, that's a really sweet thing to say. Thank you so much for supporting!_

 ** _Guest:_** _Hahahah, I hope this chapter lived up to what you meant by drama. I do have a few drama moments I'm thinking of actually. But we'll take the time to get to that. Thank you so much for reviewing! -and my lips are sealed (:_

 ** _Fer:_** _Hahah yes! I would imagine she can't too in the real Bleach universe. I don't know why. Hhaha. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. You take care too! Thanks for the review!_

 ** _T:_** _Thank you so much for the review! I'm overjoyed that you loved the story! Hope you enjoy this chapter too!_


	6. When They Went Stargazing

_Hello there! I apologise for taking such a long break. Here's the next chapter!_

 _Once again, reviews will be replied either by PM or below! Thank you all for your support (:_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. But like, what's with the crazily strong quincies. And and, so is Toushirou still alive or what._

* * *

 **To: Senna**

 **From: Ichigo**

 **Sent: 2:35pm**

 **It's fine, I know you're busy. Just promise me that you'll take care of yourself alright. Remember to drink lots of water and please get enough sleep. You're sleeping so little these days. I'm good, actually working on a new collaboration which I'm really excited about. Will tell you more about it when you have the chance to Skype again. Love you always.**

-ooo-

"Oi, hold up!"

She spun herself around to meet eye-to-sunglasses with her landlord. It was one of those days where all she wanted was to just get through the day without having too much human contact. This man was clearly not getting the memo.

"That." She couldn't really tell where he was looking but he gestured towards the mailboxes. "If you're not going to collect it by today, I'm taking it."

It wasn't even the beginning of the month, when her bills normally arrive, why would she have mail? The metal lid creaked as she open to reveal a parcel sitting in her mailbox. Sporting a quizzical frown, she took the parcel before leaving the apartment building.

Does she have so much bills this time that it came to her in a parcel?

-ooo-

"You have an hour, starting from... now." The petite girl announced, standing in the front of the classroom of the cramp school she worked in.

The sounds of students fumbling around, flipping their papers, and scribbling filled the air while she slumped onto the chair before them. This was her favourite part of this job. She didn't have to do anything at all, apart from the occasional walk down the aisle to make sure that none of the students were cheating. But most of the time, she could just relax behind her teacher's desk. And the best part is, she was still paid.

After marking the papers of her previous class and finishing up her homework, she gave a curious side-stare at the parcel she received earlier which was left at the corner of the table when she first stepped into the classroom. She had planned to open it at home but... she didn't really have anything to do now. And, seriously, who in the world would send her a parcel? She had checked thoroughly before and there were no indications on whom the sender was.

Could it be him?

She was excited for a bit and reached for the box. As silently as she could, she quickly ripped apart the brown postage wrapping. And there it was, the source of her curiousity. Sitting on her desk. In another packaging. But it was clear what it was.

A cellphone?

As a natural reflex, she looked around her before opening the tabs of the box to reveal the device. She picked it up cautiously, inspecting it, before turning it on.

Was it hers?

After the usual starting animation, she stared at the homepage screen for a good minute before the phone vibrated and rang violently, signifying an incoming call. The fumbling and scribbling stopped as the whole class looked up at her. Giving an apologetic wave, she hurriedly swiped on the phone's surface to pick up the call.

Not really sure of what she would hear from the other side, she whispered, "H-he-hello?"

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?!" Violet eyes narrowed with annoyance as she recognised that putrid voice.

"What are you talking about. I picked up the phone within half a ring."

"I CALLED YOU AT LEAST A THOUSAND TIMES. AND YOU ONLY PICK UP NOW?! ARE YOU DEAF?"

"If you keep screaming like that, I might as well be."

 _"What rude wordsssss! Who is that you're calling?"_ Rukia heard another familiar voice say at the background.

"It's Rukia."

Loud crashing sounds ensued.

 _"HOW COULD YOU TALK TO YOUR FIANCEE IN THAT MANNER. WHO TAUGHT YOU. YOU'RE MAKING ME EMBARRASSED THAT WE'RE RELATED. DON'T CALL ME DADDY."_

 _"WHAT?! I'M EMBARRASSED BY YOU ALL THE TIME."_

"Rr-rukia-chan? Are you still there?"

"Y-yes, Mr Kurosaki?"

 _"HEY! Give me back my phone."_ Ichigo was heard yelling.

"Hold on one sec, dear." A punch was heard, "How are you today, lovely? Daddy misses you very much!"

Rukia silently thanked the heavens that she wasn't physically there to witness that crazy scene. "I'm good. Uhh, I hope Ichigo is alright?"

"He's fine, he's fine. Don't worry about it. We're at Hong Kong now, at the new resort location, but you probably already know. It's looking great! It's a pity that you have school. Daddy would love to have you here with us. You love birds must have missed each other so much! No wonder my boy is so agitated by you not picking up the phone!"

"Uhhh..." Truth be told, Rukia didn't even realise Ichigo was gone. How long has it been? Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Yes, I do m-miss him."

Isshin let out a hearty laugh while stating that he wouldn't be holding up their time any longer and asking her to take care of herself.

"Hello." Ichigo simply stated once he got hold of his phone.

"Hi."

"So, I just wanted to know if you received the phone."

Her hands instinctively reached out to the box, "It's from you? Wait, do I have to pay for this?"

"It's a gift. You're welcome."

"Oh-"

"So you have no stupid excuses when I can't find you." Rukia frowned at this.

 _Isshin: "WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT YOUR ATTITUDE."_

"WHY ARE YOU STILL IN MY ROOM?" Ichigo yelled at his father before correcting himself, and saying begrudgingly, "So I can better find you."

"Well, thank you." Rukia replied with a slight smile.

"Yep, so uh bye."

 _Isshin: "That's all?"_

"And I wish you a good night." He added.

 _Isshin: "Annnndddd?"_

"And sleep tight."

 _Isshin: "ANNNDDDDD?"_

"And love you, bye." _Click._

Rukia let out a small laugh before something else in the box caught her eye. She put down the call and picked out a smiling rabbit trinket. "Wrong one, idiot." She smiles and placed the trinket on her phone anyway.

-ooo-

 **To: Ichigo**

 **From: Senna**

 **Sent: 3:05am**

 **OMGOSH I'm really sorry for missing out on our Skype session again. I know I promised you we will have a "meal" together today but something caught up. I'm not ignoring your texts, it's just that work has been really hectic today. I could barely even catch my breath, and have not eaten at all today. I'm so sorry darling... I hope you're not mad at me.**

-ooo-

Do you know the one thing Rukia doesn't get? Guys when they're eating. Well sure, she didn't really get males in general. But when they're eating. She really didn't get.

It has been two weeks since that day at the cramp school and, so far, she had been to four of Ichigo's appointments. They normally start with him texting her prior about the event, picking her up, dropping her off at some public washroom so she could change into one of those dresses that Shuuhei had so painstakingly handpicked, and they will both go to some fancy restaurant where Ichigo will introduce her and then go on with those long business talks. And they were ALL males. Meaning hardly ever any small talks. It was as if she didn't exist past the introduction.

She tried her best to understand what they were saying, or at least pretend to look interested. But the words they were spewing made no sense to her. And she was left bored to tears. At one point, she managed to figure out how to download games on her phone but was promptly given the disapproving stare by one Mr Kurosaki.

Then food is served! Which is pretty much her sole reason for even being here. Normal Rukia would have just wolfed down everything on her plate; but Dainty Rukia eats her food slowly, chews with her mouth closed and only takes a bit at a time. But no matter how slow she eats, those men would barely even touch their food as they continue to talk about their statistics and jargons and algebra. So she eats slower. And slower.

Just as she thought she was finally matching up to their speed, of lack thereof, she turns over and those bastards are already calling the waiter to clear up their empty plates.

What?

When the hell did they?

And she has to subtlety wolf down her food anyway.

So yeah, she didn't get men and how they ate.

-ooo-

And why has it all been just males?

One could only imagine the thrill in Rukia's eyes during her fifth appointment when there was actually another female.

They were at another of these ritzy restaurants with totally couture names that meant nothing at all. This one was called "Sketch". She was, as usual, introduced by Ichigo to his clients and one of his clients brought his wife. Her eyes brightened. This time, she wouldn't have to endure three hours of boredom. This time, she could, at least, be listening to words that she would understand. This time, she would finally have someone that would eat at her speed. Rukia had went on to give her a hearty handshake that lasted two seconds too long and proceeded to gape at the lady every move before she decided to speak to her. And she envisioned an evening of light-hearted chats while the men go at their business stuff.

"I thought you hit it off with Himeko-san, what happened?" Ichigo asked after a rather silent ride as he heads to her house. It had seriously puzzled the businessman when, at mid-dinner, the two had suddenly begun staring at their food or phones instead of talking to each other.

Rukia let out a exasperated sigh before answering, "I don't know. It was as if she was speaking in another language. Or maybe I was speaking a different language?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Slumping her shoulders, Rukia went on to explain how her night went.

"You thought Ferragamo was a FOOD?!"

"How was I supposed to know what it was?! She just asked me if I liked it, and we were in an Italian restaurant with dishes more than five syllables long that sounded almost like Ferragamo!"

"But you were WEARING a Ferragamo. I can't believe you."

"Then she talked about like plays and musicals and stuff. Which I could mildly understand from what I remembered in school, until she asked me who my favourite musical actor or actress was."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at her, "Please don't tell me you said Anne Hathaway or something stupid like that."

"I'm not an idiot." Rukia snapped, "I told her it was Channing Tatum from the musical Magic Mike."

"WHAT."

"I'm kidding." Ichigo allowed himself to breathe properly before hearing her continue, "So she asked about hobbies and hers were flower arranging and riding horses. And I can't possibly tell her I like doing part-time jobs or collecting store coupons. And I bet there aren't any Ferragamo coupons either."

He chuckled at her antics. "You know, those things can be arranged. I could get Hisagi to sign you up for some classes-"

"NO. Thank you. But no." Rukia shot up from her previous slouching position. "I'm busy enough as it is. I really don't need another thing to eat into my precious time."

"Alright alright. But you're definitely going to an Etiquette Class. Seeing you wolf down your food all the time, how unsightly."

Rukia made a face at him.

-ooo-

"Hisagi. Have all the rooms searched. I would not allow a single of these _fake_ flowers in my hotel." Ichigo said, cringing at the word "fake" as he held up a plastic flower in his hand.

While walking past the lobby this morning, he had immediately noticed a particular set of red tulips sticking out like an eyesore among its more legitimate counterparts. Apparently, the florist company Shiba Hotel was in partnership with had ran out of the hotel's signature red tulips and had sneaked in a few fake ones in order to cover up the error. Imagine Ichigo's horror when he found out that some of the hydrangeas were fake as well.

How long has this been going on?

"I can't accept this. Please note that we will not be renewing your contract when it ends in two month." He spoke calmly into the receiver as he sat down by his table. Speed-reading through a couple of documents on his table and signing some, he continued, "Yes, I do understand that we had been working together for a long time now, which further puzzles me on how you can let this happen."

"No. This call is not to negotiate any terms. It is just to notify you that I won't be renewing the contract. Thank you, Mr Takada. Have a nice day." The male hung up the phone before looking through the long list of florist companies that his staff had prepared for him.

He didn't even know why he was looking at the list when he already has someone in mind.

-ooo-

It was a quiet night at the cafe with only two tables of customers and a petite waitress cleaning glassware at the corner while reading an Economics textbook borrowed from the school library. Apart from the light clinking of the glasses and soft murmurs of the customers, the cafe was surrounded in a peaceful atmosphere with the OST of Spirited Away playing in the background.

Until...

"WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE, DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO GET READY?!" And in comes a tuft of fiery orange hair.

Startled, Rukia almost dropped the glass she was holding. "WHAT THE HELL- I almost broke that!"

"I told you to get ready an hour ago! Are you even reading your texts?! Why the hell did I get you a phone when you don't even check it?!"

"What's going on?" the store's manager asked as he came out of the kitchen with his long white hair tied up in a ponytail and suddenly the cafe was back to its previous peacefulness. Ukitake just had something about him that had the ability to make any raging beast calm. Ichigo reckons it was his pale skin, he wasn't too sure when exactly this man would suddenly collapse and die or something if he had spoke too loud.

"I was just looking for-"

"I apologise for this ruckus, Manager. I will sort this out." The waitress interrupted as she pushed Ichigo towards the storeroom.

"No no! Hold up! I don't have the time! I can't wait any longer." Ichigo exclaimed. Pushing past Rukia, he stomped his way in front of Ukitake and pulled out a cheque book before scribbling something on it and handing a single cheque to the manager. "This should cover the cost for the night. I need Rukia now."

"Uh, Mister. I-"

"Let's go." He merely said before grabbing Rukia and walking hurriedly out of the cafe.

"Stay safe!" Ukitake called.

It didn't seem to faze Ichigo when he literally bumped into every single passerby while scurrying to his car. Still holding on to her kitchen towel from before, Rukia felt her arms losing feeling due to Ichigo's death grip. He was walking so fast and pulling so hard that she could barely even feel her feet on the ground. "WAIT! Where are we going? Why the hell are you in such a hurry?"

"I've been waiting for this for so long. And I can't wait any longer."

"What?"

"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. I almost - almost - succumb to the urge to get a cheaper and easier solution way out. They were just coming to me anyway. But no. I still have my pride."

"What the hell are you blabbing about?!" Rukia screamed, now in shear panic. The words "succumb" and "urge" rang danger sirens in her head. He wasn't talking about what she thinks he's talking about, _right_? Using her free hand to grasp her top close, she summoned all the courage she had and announced, "I-I'm a person with pride as well. I don't go around giving... giving it. Where are we going?"

"To one of my hotels."

"WHAT?!"

-ooo-

"Stargazing. The term is stargazing."

After her huge outburst, Ichigo had to silence her by pushing her into the passenger seat of the car before speeding off to their destination. The whole time she was yelling and screaming, he had struggled to text Hisagi about his arrival while pushing her away from his face and trying to drive the vehicle. Upon reaching his hotel, which was really a villa, at the top of Sokyoku Hill, they head straight for the room already prepared for him. Thank God for personal assistants. He couldn't imagine the scene if he had to do a regular check-in with her shrieking beside him. He didn't even know what the hell her outbreak was about.

And here they were, in the balcony of his suite, as he looked intently into a telescope.

"We're not star-gazing. I'm looking for someone. He should be here somewhere."

Changing into fresh clothes, courtesy of Hisagi, Rukia sat on one of the daybeds provided and stared out at the magnificent view before her. From the balcony, they could see the lights of the nearby city as well as the coast of the sea on the other end. "So you're stalking him. Or her. Who is this person anyway?"

"He's the owner of Katen Kyokotsu, a company that provides gardening needs, including flower arrangements and holiday decorations. We recently ended a contract with the company that usually provides us our plants. And though I have many companies bidding to work with us, he's really the one I want." Sighing and taking a break from spying, Ichigo stood up and rubbed his eyes with the end of his palms. "But I've tried contacting him in every way I know possible. He's really temperamental, to say the least. So I thought, perhaps, I could somehow purposely accidentally bump into him or something. And the best way is to make him think I'm on a staycation as well!"

"Staycation? If this goes on after midnight, I'm charging for another day."

-ooo-

"You've been staring into that thing for two hours now. Are you sure he is out there?" Sitting up straight from her previous fetal position, she added, "The truth is out there."

"Haha. Funny. And he is, he checked in with his wife this afternoon. I just really hope they're not actually planning to stay in their room for the whole duration they're here."

"Yeah? I'm bored. Come, let me help you!" Rukia jumped out of the daybed and started wrestling the man, who was almost two times bigger than her, for the telescope.

"You don't even know how he looks like!" He argued while pulling her arm away from the device.

"Then, describe him to me!"

Deciding that his eyes were pretty tired anyway, Ichigo slumped down on the nearby chair and recalled, "He has long brown curly and unkempt hair. A really cool stubble that goes around his chin. Dead fish-eyes. And... an overall dishevelled look about him."

"Sounds like every guy in my neighbourhood. This should be pretty easy."

Scoffing at her, he continued, "Oh, and the previous few times I met him, he seem to have a liking for bright clothes."

"Bright clothes?"

"You'll know it when you see it."

"Uhh.. okay."

Apart from a few rare finds of some squirrels, a colourful bird, some couples making out, her search for this Shunsui Kyoraku was going nowhere. It wasn't long before the girl got bored at surveying every nook and cranny of the villa's outdoor area.

"Hey HEY! You're supposed to watch the grounds! Seriously, I just shut my eyes for like one minute-"

"I have my hands on a telescope and this is such a beautiful night! Come on, a few minutes isn't going to hurt. The stars are really pretty tonight!" He sighed at her excitement.

"Alright. Just a few minutes! And I'm taking back spying duty."

Still looking into the telescope eagerly, she waved at him and said, "Yeah yeah alright. I appreciate it. You're becoming kinder. That's a good sign."

"WHAT. I'm always kind!"

-ooo-

It was almost 10pm, and four hours since they started their surveillance. Rukia is back on the daybed, fiddling with her half-eaten dinner from the Room Service they called earlier while Ichigo stares out from the edge of the balcony, with his own plate on hand, and occasionally checking on the telescope. There weren't any news from his staff members that the couple left their room either. It really does seem that they're just planning to stay in the room.

"Oi. Ichigo."

"Hmm?"

"I've been thinking. You never mention this ex of yours. Did you guys broke up?"

"I'm not answering that."

"Hah! You didn't!" Rukia exclaimed as she sat up and pointed a finger at him.

"I didn't say anything! What's it to you anyway. Can we maintain a strictly employer-employee relationship? This is invading my private life."

"Pfft. Just so you know, I'm kinda engaged to you. I _am_ your private life." She exhaled as she laid back down on the bed, her feet nowhere near the edge. "By the way, I'm totally cool with your choice anyway. I don't judge."

"My choice of what- what are you saying."

"Your choice of partners."

"I'm totally not cool with my current choice. And you don't get to judge who I choose anyway." He made a sudden move to face her. "Wait. You know who I'm dating?"

"No? How would I know?" Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm just saying I'm pretty open when it comes to sexual preferences."

"Sexual preferences?!" He almost flipped the plate he had on his hand. What the hell, did she think he was g-gay?! "I am not gay! And I don't think I even want to know how you came up with that conclusion."

She felt her cheeks heat up as they turned pink from embarrassment. She sputtered an apology before continuing, "A-anyway, when you proposed, you mentioned that she blew you off."

"Yeah." Ichigo felt himself being brought back to that moment when Senna called him on the phone to tell him that she had decided to fly away that very night for some movie. He had never felt so betrayed in his life. Filled with rage, he went on to propose to this very girl before him on impulse. In a way, he was grateful Rukia was so money-minded, he wouldn't know what to do if she had accepted based on feelings when, in his heart, he still loved Senna. That being said, he still haven't found the courage to tell Senna anything...

"Maybe she isn't ready."

"She's never ready. OW! What was that for?!" He yelled while nursing his head.

"Marriage is a huge thing! Especially to us, girls!"

"You accepted my proposal in 30 minutes."

Giving him a deadpanned look, she continued, "To you, marriage might just be a tool for you to get ahead in your business. But, to her, it's a whole lot more. Don't get me wrong, I'm not underestimating your love for her. I believe you both were truly in love. It's just that girls always have this romanticised versions of marriage in our heads, that sometimes, we have to... you know, reevaluate stuff. We have to make sure the person we're marrying is really the one, our other half, our soulmate."

"... yeah, I guess. But we've been together so long, you'd think she'd know, you know?"

She watched as he squirmed and fiddled with his shirt. It was an odd sight since, to her, he was always firm and stoic. "Where is she now?"

"In New York. She accepted a job offer there and she won't be back for close to a year. But, my family couldn't wait that long."

"I know. But you both still love each other, and if it's really meant to be, you'll be together some day."

He let out a small smile as he looked at the petite girl beside him. It was the first time he was really looking at her and there was just something peaceful in her eyes that made every fibre of his body felt calm. "Yeah."

"And when she's back, you'll go find her, right?"

"You bet."

"That's good." Rukia let out a smile as well as she stretched her arms above her head. "I just realise, this is probably the first time we ever actually talked to each other."

Letting out a soft chuckle, Ichigo replied, "Yup. And it wasn't so bad."

They spent the next 20 minutes in comfortable silence before Ichigo excused himself to use the bathroom. On the way there, he picked up his phone and stared at a number all too familiar to him. Pondering if he should call her, or even send her a text. She had been so busy lately that it's been days since they've had a good chat. He missed her. Placing the phone down beside the sink, he took a quick shower before deciding he should leave her with something to let her know he's been thinking about her, missing her.

He typed out, **"Hey lovely, how have you been doing? It's been two days since we last texted. Just thinking about you. Has it turned cold yet? The leaves are starting to turn yellow here. I remembered how much you love autumn-"**

"Hey, does this guy of yours have a wife that wears glasses because..."

And, her voice fizzled out as she stared at a very naked Ichigo standing in the middle of the bathroom, which she had so unceremoniously barged in, with his phone on his hand. They stayed staring at each other for five more seconds before a scream was heard.

"OMG I'M SO SO SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO. I MEAN, WHY ARE YOU IN THE BATHROOM WITHOUT YOUR CLOTHES." Rukia exclaimed with her face as red as a tomato.

"HOW ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO BATHE?!"

"YOU LOCK YOUR DAMN DOOR WHEN YOU BATHE. THAT'S HOW. ANYWAY, I SAW YOUR GUY. I'M JUST GONNA WAIT OUT HERE. MAKE SURE YOU'RE APPROPRIATELY DRESSED."

"You're the one who barged into the bathroom. I'm coming out soon, just give me a minute. God Dammit."

* * *

 _That's all I have for now! I don't know about this chapter, not entirely happy with it. But I would do my best for the following ones. Reviews are greatly appreciated!_

 _Replies_

 ** _Guest:_** _Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked their interactions! It is always fun to write about the Kurosaki household._

 _ **Astalina:**_ _Thank you for taking the time to review. And I really hope I do too. It's always nice to hear that someone appreciates your work. Thank you once again!_

 ** _Fer:_** _Thank you! Hahahah! True that. Canon Ichigo is as clueless and oblivious too. Hahahah. I hope you enjoy this one too. And since, it's way after Christmas... erm Happy New Year? (:_

 ** _1234567:_** _Hey! Thank you so much for the review. I really appreciate it. Yeah, they've been together for a considerable time so Ichigo still loves her. And yes! Just like canon Rukia, she will be the light of his life somewhere later on in this story. Thank you so much for your support!_


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